Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies Activities & Plans EASC meeting, June , Minsk

Overview of presentation How do we work at UNECE WP.6 Highlights of last year activities Intersessional activities Engagement with UNISDR on Standards and DRR – Sendai Conference DCMAS meeting Capacity building MARS meeting UNECE activities in the area of education on standards-related issues.

How do we work at UNECE WP.6 What we are: Intergovernmental body Participation by: authorities, regional & int’l org, standards- setting bodies, business, certification bodies, test houses, civil society From all UN Member States 1970 – 2015: 45+ years Our mandate:  Standardization  Technical regulations  Conformity assessment  Accreditation  Metrology  Market surveillance  Risk Management  Education x standards Our activities Develop and share info & best practice Capacity-building (trainings and awareness-raising events) Develop and maintain a set of recommendations Implement a set of initiatives on specific industrial sectors

WP.6: Five main areas of work Enable and empower both Governments and UN initiatives with a knowledge base as regards standards Forum for dialogue between UN & standards community Remove technical barriers to trade Sectoral initiatives Fight proliferation of counterfeit and non-compliant goods on the markets Market surveillance Safer and more resilient communities and eco-systems Risk Management in Regulatory Frameworks Bring toolbox of standards to the lay person Education on standards- related issues

Highlights of 24th Plenary session High-Level Segment on "Regulatory Cooperation" on 24 November Conference on "Safer products and workplaces, safer communities" on 25 November: discussion on practical ways of addressing the growing concerns of consumers, business and authorities about the proliferation of non-compliant, dangerous and counterfeit goods and equipment on the marketplace and at the workplace Election of second Vice-Chair to the Working Party Experts illustrated and showcases practical means to promote compliance with standards and regulations, including developing a common terminology and appropriate information systems, and conducting awareness-raising and capacity-building activities.

Intersessional activities since November 2014 November-December: Engagement with the UNISDR Secretariat: "Standards and Normative Mechanisms for Disaster Risk Reduction” + 2 nd PrepCom for Sendai Conference in Palais des Nations 22 January: UNECE Executive Office and ISO meeting to discuss UN/CEFACT proposal on access to standards 5 February: GRM and DRR webinars 14 – 18 March: Sendai Conference 17 March: WCDRR session 31 - Standards for Disaster Risk Reduction Including Building Code March and 16–18 June: TBT meetings at WTO

Engagement with UNISDR: 1) Background research for GAR Prevention of disaster risks: Standards can facilitate change towards sustainable and resilient patterns of production and consumption 2.Reduction of disaster risks: Standards offer tools for systemic risk management (ISO 31000) 3.Strengthened crisis management capacity at all levels: Business continuity and emergency management standards enable to absorb shocks in a way that minimizes capital, human and eco – system losses

Engagement with UNISDR: 2) Conclusion of the research 1) Strengthen implementation of standards by building awareness, facilitating access, encouraging education and involving the standardization community in DRR consultations 2) Quality infrastructure: Q.I. is key to test and audit the resilience of infrastructure - so strike a careful balance with international trade priorities 3) Risk-based regulatory framework: A common, risk-based approach that grounds relevant sectoral legislation allows coordination, accountability, transparence, and consultation with stakeholders. 4) Embed crisis management function in the regulatory process, instead of being set out in stand-alone legislation.

Engagement with UNISDR 3) preparations for Sendai and follow up Contributions to the GAR background research by ISO, IEC and PwC: dialogue is continuing, in view of contributing to the preparatory process to the WCDRR Organising a session on ”Standards for Disaster Risk Reduction Including Building Code” during the Sendai Conference in March 2015 Following up the decision of establishing a Task Force at ISO/TC 292 level

Planned activities 16 June: START Team meeting discussing Recommendation L revision – Updating the Recommendation text to be more clear and help users in better understanding the principles behind Common Regulatory Objectives (CROs) and their setup June/3-6 November : WTO/TBT sessions, Geneva – Regular meetings of the WTO TBT Committee discussing a list of specific trade concerns of member countries and exchanging experiences – Anniversary Event will take place on 6 November 2015

24 – 25 June: 13 th MARS Group meeting in Prague, Czech Republic – Annual meeting of the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance 2-3 November: ISO-IEC-UNECE event on " Using and referencing ISO and IEC standards to support public policy“, Palais des Nations, Geneva – Conference and training event will look at how to reference standards in regulations, how standards can help implement policy commitments taken at the global level (e.g. sustainability, resilience and development goals), and much more. Planned activities

1–2 December: WSC Workshop on Conformity Assessment, Geneva – To help you find solutions to your conformity assessment (CA) issues – To draw on the reputation & worldwide reach of the 3 international standards organizations, IEC, ISO, ITU – To bring together and share different national situations, experience, issues & solutions – To build awareness of the value & benefits of global CA – To help solve the issues of product safety, performance, energy efficiency, fake & counterfeit products, and more 2-3 December: 25th Annual session of the Working Party – Back-to-back with the WSC workshop and including a special session on Conformity Assessment Planned activities

Questions ? Thank you!